Sports glove



Oct. 6, 1959 R. STEINBERG 2,907,047

SPORTS GLOVE Filed April 8, 1959 INVENTOR.

Roberf Sfeinerg BY 1 x HA TTORNIS' Y United States Patent '0 2,907,047 SPORTS GLOVE Robert Steinberg, GreatNeck, N.Y. Application. April 8, 1959, Serial No. 805,096

' Claims. (c1. 2'-161) The present invention relates to a glove, and more particularly to a sport glove of the type to be worn by a player who is required, in the course of the game, to grasp and manipulate the handle portion of a playing device or implement, and especially to a golfers glove.

Sportsmen, and especially golfers, who are required, in the course of the game, often played in warm weather, to exert a tight and firm grip on the handle of the playing device, such as a golf club, which they wield, find that the palm side of the hand perspires profusely and makes their grip not only uncomfortable, but also slippery and unsure, and, therefore, without proper force or accuracy.

Heretofore, endeavors have been made to provide gloves, to be worn while playing, to absorb the perspiration, at least to an extent, and to eliminate wet and slippery contact with the handle of the playing device. However, such sport gloves as heretofore provided and used fail to completely overcome the disadvantages enumerated above. Thus, such gloves generally tend to add to the warmth of the hand and increase the rate of perspiration. They soon become saturated with moisture and become uncomfortable to wear for that reason. Also, many of these gloves themselves tend to slip over the handle of the playing device. Finally, and most important, these gloves, when worn by the player, offer resistance to the flexing of the hand around the handle of the playing, device, which requires a firm grip thereon, andexert a substantialstrain on the muscles of the hands and the fingers in the effort to overcome such resistance, and thereby cause great fatigue to the players hands and interfere with his effective prosecution of the game.

The present invention is directed to the provision of a sport glove, and especially a golf glove, that will overcome all of the foregoing disadvantages of playing barehanded or with a glove of the prior art.

It is, thus, one object of the present invention to provide a sport glove of the character described which will prevent perspiring contact between the players hand and the handle of the playing implement, so that the player may exert a strong, firm and non-slipping grip on the implement handle.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a sport glove of the character described which is cool and ventilated and will exert a minimum stimulation for the wearers hand to perspire therein, so that the player may wear the same even between his turns at the game, with out the need for constant removal and replacement.

It is also an object of the present invention toprovide a sport glove of the character described which will offer a minimum of resistance to and will least interfere with the flexing of the wearers hand for gripping the handle of the playing implement or for any other purpose, and will, therefore, cause a minimum of muscular fatigue to the players hand, so that he may continue the game without noticeable weakening of his grip.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a sport glove of the character described which is thin and light weight and permits the player to have the natural feel of the playing implement to thereby increase his comfort and accuracy, and which enables such glove to be neatly and compactly folded for storage in pocket or game kit.

It is a still further object of the present invention to provide a sport glove of the character described which is relatively strong and sturdy and may be produced at relatively low cost.

It is yet a further object of the present invention to provide a sport glove of the character described which is easy and convenient to put on and to take off.

The foregoing and other objects and advantages of the sport glove of the present invention will become more readily apparent to those skilled in the art from the embodiment thereof shown in the accompanying drawing and from the description following. It is to be understood, however, that such embodiment is shown by way of illustration only, to make the principles and practice of the invention more readily comprehensible, and without any intent of limiting the invention to the specific details therein shown.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of one embodiment of a sport glove of the present invention embodied as a golfers glove; and i Fig. 2 is an elevational view of the back side thereof, partly broken away to show structural detail.

Referring more specifically to the illustrated embodiment of the invention shown in the accompanying drawing, the same comprises a one-piece dipped latex glove body, generally designated as 10, comprising a hand section, generally designated as 12, having the palm side 14, and back side 16, fingers 18, a thumb 20, and a wrist portion 22.

To eliminate resistance to the flexing of the wearers hand, the body 10 may be initially formed longitudinally arcuate, especially through the hand and finger'sections 12 and 18 thereof, with the concavity on the inner palm side 14 of the glove.

By this arcuate construction of the glove, it normally fits on a curved, partially closed, hand, so that the resistance and muscular tension norrhallyexertedon. the flexing hand as it grips the club, will be greatly reduced;

The back 16 of the glove may be provided with an opening 24 extending through the upper part of the wrist portion 22 and lower part of the back portion 16. The body 10 may be provided with a plurality of relatively small ventilating openings 26 in the palm side 14 thereof, and also in the back portion 16, intermediate the opening 24 and the fingers 18.

To further assure the yielding of the glove to the shape of the hand when it is tightened about the club with a minimum of resistance to such tightening, the back face of each of the fingers 18 and also the thumb 20 is provided with a longitudinally extending slot 3% opposite the position of the inner knuckle of each finger, such slots 30 being adapted to spread apart when the fingers are tightened around the golf club, to permit the bending of the fingers at the knuckles without resistance from the glove at that point.

The glove may be formed with thickenings or short transverse ribs 32 at the terminal of each slot 30 to reinforce the glove at that point to prevent the spreading of the slots 30 in a longitudinal direction.

The glove of the present invention may be formed with whole fingers that are adapted to cover the entire finger of the hand, at the tip of which may be provided a ventilating opening 34 to aid in maintaining the glove cool upon the hand. If desired, each of the glove fingers 13 may be formed with one or more annular ribs 36 spaced from the end of the finger and from one another, outwardly of which each of the glove fingers may be cut away if desired, to expose the fingers of the hand to a varying degree; such ribs 36 serving: as reinforcements at the end of the truncated glove fingers, to prevent the tearing of the glove material alongv the cut edge.

' If desired, the outer surface of the dipped glove may be formed with thin transverse striations, particularly on the palm side of the glove, including the fingers, for the purpose of effecting a more firm and non-slip grip.

Also, if desired, the interior of the dipped glove may be sueded, to provide it with an irregular interior surface that permits the flow of air between. the skin of the hand and the inner face of the glove and prevents their adhesion and also prevents the slipping of the glove on the hand.

This completes the description of the sport glove of the present invention. It will be readily apparent that such glove is thin and highly flexible and pliable, by reason of which it may be compactly folded, and also will interfere to a minimum with the manual feel of the playing implement handle. It will also be apparent that the glove of the present invention is relatively cool on the hand and will permit the flexing of the hand with a minimum of resistance and with a minimum of strain and fatigue on the hand muscles. It will additionally be apparent that the sport glove of the present invention may be readily and safely converted from a full-fingered glove to a short-fingered glove to suit the convenience and taste of the wearer and to enable a more sensitive gripping of the playing implement handle.

It will likewise be apparent that the grove of the present invention permits a comfortable, sure and firm grip on the playing implement handle, so that the implement may be wielded with as much force and accuracy as if held barehanded.

It will be further apparent that numerous variations and modifications in the sport glove of the present invention may be made by anyone skilled in the' art, in accordance with the principles of the invention hereinabove set forth, and without the exercise of any inventive ingenuity. I desire, therefore, to be protected for any and all such variations and modifications that may be made within the spirit of the present invention and the scope of the claims hereto appended.

' What I claim is:

1. A sport glove of the character described, comprising a one-piece, thin, dipped latex body, including a palm section, a back section, finger sections and a thumb section, said body being longitudinally arcuate to conform to the curvature of a partially clenched hand, said finger sections each having a longitudinally extending slit formed therein in the second joint covering portion thereof, each of said fingers having transversely extending reinforcing means at each terminal of the slit formed therein.

2. A sport glove of the character described, comprising a one-piece, thin, dipped latex body, including a palm section, a back section, finger sections and a thumb section, said body being longitudinally arcuate to con form to the curvature of a partially clenched hand, said 7 finger sections each having a longitudinally extending slit 7 joint covering portion thereof and having annular, spaced ribs formed thereon forwardly of said slit.

4. A sport glove of the character described, comprising a thin, one-piece, dipped latex body, including a palm section, a back section, finger sections and a thumb sec- I tion, said body being longitudinally arcuate to conform to the curvature of a partially closed hand, said palm and back sections having apertures formed therein; said finger sections each having an aperture formed in the tip thereof, a slit formed in the second finger-joint covering portion thereof, thickened reinforcements at the terminals of such slit, and spaced, annular thickened ribs intermediate said slit and the tip thereof.

5. The sport glove of claim 4, wherein said thumb section is also formed with an aperture in the tip thereof, a slit in the thumb joint portion thereof, thickened reinforcernents at each terminal of said slit, and an annular thickened rib intermediate said slit and said tip.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,036,413 Herbruck Apr. 7, 1936 2,242,318 Mosier May 20, 1941 2,293,347 Lindfelt Aug. 18, 1942 

